Los Angeles.

Los Angeles is more than a city, more than a county. Los Angeles is some kind of sprawling mess that has, since its humble beginnings, encompassed varied lifestyles and personalities. People from all over the world come here to imprint their identity onto it's landscape (sometimes literally), for better or often for worse.

Mural. Central Los Angeles, CA. Canon AE-1 28mm f1.4 100asa Legacy 35mm B/W film ©Mike Vega

There are so many unique neighborhoods that make up Los Angeles, but all are tied together, bound by the network of concrete arteries that traverse the landscape.
It's when you dare to get off of these arteries and venture into the unknown that you can discover the gems of individuality that keep drawing people here.

First St. Pool Billiard Parlor. Boyle Heights, CA. Canon AE-1 18mm f1.4 100asa Legacy 35mm B/W film ©Mike Vega 

Some of the attraction is steeped in celluloid history. So many images of this area, and more specifically, Hollywood have been seen by people the world over that when someone comes here for the first time they have an almost innate familiarity with the place.

Hollywood "Walk of Fame" star for legendary and controversial Silent Era Director/Actor Erich von Stroheim. Los Angeles, CA. Canon AE-1 28mm f1.4 100asa Legacy 35mm B/W film ©Mike Vega

There are of course equal numbers of legions of people who despise Los Angeles as there are those who adore it. Often though, even those who claim to detest the place come here. They come for the weather, the entertainment, and sometimes it's the very audacity and restlessness of the city that draws them in...

Tourists on Hollywood Boulevard. Los Angeles, CA. Canon AE-1 28mm f1.4 100asa Legacy 35mm B/W film ©Mike Vega

With its jumbled mix of fame, fortune, poverty, fantasy and stark reality the city is alive to those who choose to step out of their cars, and walk the streets, turn the corners and be open to discovery. On virtually any corner in the city you may find an architectural gem, a work of art, a famous face, a scene of urban blight, or mess of humanity... Anything.

Capitol Records building (modeled after a "stack of vinyl records"). Los Angeles, CA. Tower 120 110mm lens 100asa Arista B/W film ©Mike Vega

Do I love or hate Los Angeles? Yes.
Spend any amount of time here and you'll find that it can simply not be one or the other. It is too complex a place to assess in such simple terms. Find a rock or a gem, a flower or a weed, it is up to you.

Mels Drive-In Diner. Los Angeles, CA. Tower 120 110mm lens 100asa Arista B/W film ©Mike Vega

-Mike